Charli XCX’s 10 Best Songs
The post Charli XCX’s 10 Best Songs appeared first on Consequence.
It’s been over 10 years since Charlotte Emma Atichinson — known to most of the world as Charli XCX — released her first official collection of music, all culminating with a song that launched her career into the expansive pantheon of pop music: Icona Pop’s “I Love It.”
The pop hit was a prototype for what Charli wanted to explore on her solo albums, and her 2013 debut True Romance added a moody, nostalgic palate to the mix. Yet, Charli didn’t stop there; since True Romance, each Charli XCX album has been a bold, ambitious, and highly distinctive work, playing always to her strengths as a songwriter and her deeply expressive voice.
The term “future pop” was thrown around a lot around 2013, particularly with other indie pop artists like Grimes and Purity Ring, who added a modern, experimental flair to songs with state-of-the-art production. But when you look at the trajectory of pop music since then, it’s Charli who has consistently blazed a new path forward into the future of the medium.
Since she began her creative partnership with PC Music founder A.G. Cook, Charli’s music has evolved so rapidly that she’s always been one step ahead of the zeitgeist, particularly when it comes to hyperpop and left-of-center production choices. She’s consistently a champion of innovative, future-minded artists and producers, working heavily with visionaries like SOPHIE, Danny L Harle, Caroline Polachek, Rina Sawayama, and Christine and the Queens.
Overall, Charli is not only inimitable — she’s a symbol of what can happen when an artist embraces the new, the strange, and the margins of a genre. Charli XCX makes pop music with a sense of abandon, a brashness and a confidence that cannot be deterred.
Ahead of Charli XCX’s fifth studio album Crash (out Friday, March 18th), we’re looking back at her eclectic career. It was more than tough to narrow it down; one could rank Charli’s 20 best collaborations alone. But we were intent on including a mix of solo efforts and early-career standouts, in addition to her many excellent team-ups.
Check out the full list of Charli’s best songs below, and scroll to the end for a playlist of all 10 tracks.
— Paolo Ragusa
10. “1999 (with Troye Sivan)”
Charli and Troye Sivan teaming up might not have been the very first thing people saw coming — Charli’s hyperpop and Sivan’s more dream-pop sensibilities sit on different ends of the table — but the product of the collaboration proves how great their sounds can mesh after all. With references to Britney Spears, All That, Eminem, and Michael Jackson tucked into the lyrics, the two deliver a nostalgia-fueled bop that served as the intro to Charli’s self-titled era. — Mary Siroky
09. “Roll With Me”
A highlight from 2017’s Number 1 Angel mixtape, “Roll With Me” is an exuberant hyperpop track. Late electronic icon SOPHIE lends her signature production to the track, picking up where 2016’s Vroom Vroom left off and providing instrumentation laden with brilliant, tactile texture. “Roll With Me” is a clattering, vibrant rollercoaster of endorphins, with Charli taking you along for the ride: “Ooh, we got this moment, don’t let it slip away/ So tell me, now I gotta find it out/ Do you wanna roll with me?” — Rachael Crouch
08. “SuperLove”
“SuperLove” is everything great about 2013 Charli XCX: it’s maximalist, it’s hypnotically danceable, and it’s impossible to frown while it’s on. Although its title was demoted from SUCKER lead single to non-album-track, the sonic world of the song, with its bouncy guitar and whirlpool of bright synths, is as delicious and addictive as anything Charli put out prior or since.
Her first solo effort to appear on the UK singles chart, “SuperLove” hinted at the alt-pop queen Charli was about to become. Most importantly, nearly a decade later, it remains a total bop, no nostalgia required. — Jonah Krueger
07. “Vroom Vroom”
Let’s ride: “Vroom Vroom” is maybe the best way to introduce someone to the bonkers sonic world of Charli XCX. “Vroom Vroom” is noisy and completely unhinged, and, most importantly, it’s just so much fun. The song marked the first time Charli teamed up with visionary producer SOPHIE, and Charli recounts the process as one packed with push and pull. She’s not known for her subtlety, and “Vroom Vroom” is a concise argument against the idea of subtlety in crazy, beautiful, wild pop music. — M.S.
06. “3AM (ft. MØ)”
With an assist from Danish singer MØ, “3AM (Pull Up)” exemplifies Charli’s ability to effortlessly blend genres. The dancehall-meets-synth-pop banger finds Charli and MØ contemplating a manipulative lover who may not be coming along for the ride. The bright, cheerful instrumentation of “3AM” is juxtaposed with lamenting lyricism, pulling off an unexpected emotional arc.
By the end of the track, it’s clear Charli and MØ have reached a decision, leaving their lovers in the dust: “It’s 3 AM and you’re callin’/ Go fuck yourself, don’t say you’re sorry/ I can’t believe I used to want this/ No more, no.” — R.C.
05. “Unlock It (ft. Kim Petras and Jay Park)”
For this bubbly track off Pop 2, Charli enlisted the help of fellow bright pop princess Kim Petras and rapper Jay Park. The glittery track captures a snapshot of why Charli XCX has been so successful in the pop space, not just writing for herself but for so many others, too — the chorus might be simple and repetitive, but there’s no denying just how addictive it is.
Upon release, Charli shared in a since-deleted Instagram post that the chorus came to her while driving, and lodged itself in her head. It’s the same result for anyone who listens to “Unlock It” to this day. — M.S.
04. “Doing It (ft. Rita Ora)”
Charli and Rita Ora are having so much fun on this track that it’s instantly contagious. From the giggle that introduces the pair to the “All night long/ We dancin’ to this song” refrain, “Doing It” feels less like a fun night out and more like the platonic ideal of what a fun night out should be. Not a bad vibe in sight, the song finds Charli and Rita (who remains underrated) in the midst of a friendship montage and they’re politely requesting your presence. — J.K.
03. “Gone (with Christine and the Queens)”
From a lyrical perspective, it’s difficult to find a Charli XCX song as illuminating as “Gone,” which also features excellent contributions from Christine and the Queens. She tackles her feelings of anxiety and isolation with specificity and poetic phrasing, especially with lines like “pour me one more/ watch the ice melt in my fist,” and “why do we keep when the water runs?/ Why do we love if we’re so mistaken?” Remarkably, much of the song’s power comes from its seismic beat and production, which sounds both club-ready and like it’ll swallow everything up in its path.
Charli and Christine and the Queens are radiant, determined, and deeply passionate throughout “Gone,” levying their collective anxiety for a cathartic release. Charli and producers A.G. Cook and Lotus deliberately added an intimidatingly huge beat to a song that’s incredibly vulnerable for her, demonstrating the subversive power of juxtaposition and the freeing potential of a sad banger.
Album Review: Charli XCX’s Charli Fits Perfectly in Pop’s Present
In the end, instead of offering one more satisfying chorus, Charli launches into a chopped-up, bloghouse outro that reduces both the seismic beat and her anxious musings to fragments. It’s a representation of the sheer cost of these destructive feelings, and even though Charli doesn’t find an answer to her questions, there is no choice but to just keep dancing. — P.R.
02. “Boys”
“Boys,” which famously arrived alongside a star-studded (emphasis on “stud”) music video, is arguably Charli at her most playful. She knows that she doesn’t have to do too much throughout the track — especially since “I was busy thinkin’ bout boys” is such a strong, unforgettable hook — but Charli still imbues so much personality and style into “Boys.”
Its futuristic production is highlighted by a brilliantly used sample from Super Mario Bros and thumping, EDM-adjacent drums, lifting the song to a much more active and interesting place given how minimal the arrangements are.
Indeed, “Boys” is not just Charli playing it cool, but it demonstrates her impressive ability to curate and arrange a song to exactly where it needs to be; no more, and no less. And with an opening line and melody so instantly iconic, “Boys” will remain one of Charli’s best ever experiments, a simple treasure that won’t be losing its novelty any time soon. — P.R.
01. “Break The Rules”
Charli XCX was barely a teenager when her Myspace page caught the attention of a promoter who invited the fledgling songwriter to perform at underground raves; you can feel the aftermath of her rebellious, unconventional upbringing throughout her punky 2014 album, SUCKER. She may have been a few years out of grade school by the time she released album centerpiece “Break the Rules,” but its devil-may-care attitude has long remained a crucial tenet of Charli’s music.
Interweaving gritty, college-rock instrumentals with flashes of electro-pop, “Break the Rules” is relatively toned down in comparison to some of Charli’s other career highlights. But even without an ear-splitting bass drop or hyperpop twists, the song acts as a testament to her singular ability to invite you to party alongside her — homework will just have to wait. — Abby Jones
Charli XCX’s 10 Best Songs Playlist:
Charli XCX’s 10 Best Songs
Consequence Staff
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